The Seventh Sacrifice
by superhackaninja5
Summary: the profit of my boredom in french class. summary and other stuff inside.
1. Prologue:The Seven

Title:The Seventh Sacrifice

Author:superhackaninja5

Rating:T

Summary:Dreams are how our subconscious tells us things we don't want to hear or how our imagination shields us from the real world, which means they're supposedly harmless, right? Wrong. My dreams show me natural disasters and brutal homicides. And every one of them come true. There are six others like me, seven in total, but they do different things. We've all been hunted for our powers by an organization called the _Umortis, _who have already captured the fourth and the fifth. They will stop at nothing to have us all. My name is Kai Hiwatari. I am the seventh and I can manipulate the future. This is my story.

AU/AR in various places. All of the seven can basically be in another continent in like a fraction of a second, anyways, so there's no point in proclaiming a specific setting. But it's in the real world, not the Beyblade world, I can tell you that much.

Warnings:Swearing, violence, yaoi, possibly drugs and alcohol, lots of character death, fairly emo at some points, et cetera ad nauseum.

Disclaimer:I wish I didn't have to say it, but I don't own Beyblade. If I did, I would kill off everyone except for my favourite characters and everything wouldn't be all like, "Oh, who cares about the city being destroyed?Let's just continue with our game of spinning tops!":D Also, I kinda got this idea from the new movie I AM NUMBER FOUR, so I dunno if that's copyright or not, but whatev.

Okay, I guess you can tell by now that stories involving Beyblade in any way, shape or form have become an unhealthy , I kinda sort of based this after two things:the new movie I AM NUMBER FOUR coming out Febuary 18th, which, coincidentally, happens to be today, and a dream I had last night that was sort of cool. Of course, that kind of involved Naruto and Yu-Gi-Oh, too, but I'm trying to drag myself off crossovers for now, although this does kind of involve Metal fusion, too. Only the one character, though.

("..." denotes character speaking

~_blah...blah~ _denotes character thinking

`_blah...blah..`_ denotes characters speaking telepathically to each other)

This is all in Kai's POV, maybe one or two sections in a couple chapter will be in like Ray's or Tala's or something, but...

Ages:

Kai-17

Tala-17

Ray-15

Max-14

Ian-18

Robert-18

Kyoya-17

Note:Kyoya and Ian have different last names. Kyoya's is Rider and Ian's is Carris, but it is Ian Papov, only with my own version of his appearance. And in this, Kai's eyes are PURPLE, not red, like they are in the third season.

Now let's get started.

* * *

**Prologue:The Seven Sacrifices**

I never set much store by my dreams.

People say they're how our subconscious tells us things we don't want to hear. They're also how our imagination shields us from the real world;so I never really thought that my dreams meant anything special.

That is, until they started coming true.

It began with some relatively harmless things:I had a dream one night, when I was in fifth grade, I think it was, that everyone in my school had cupcakes on their desks and the next day, I was surrounded by the wannabe muffins.

Of course, at the time I thought that dreams were merely dreams and that that was just a coincidence, so I forgot all about it. But the following day, after I had a dream where Tom Cruise came to town;a highly unlikely event, and yet, when I walked out the front door, the famous actor was standing directly down the street from me, signing autographs and taking photos.

At first, I thought it was a good thing;I would dream something totally out of this world, but not in a dangerous way, and just like that, the next day whatever it was would happen. It was unexpected, true, but not harmful.

As I started getting older, though, and got into more teenager-type stuff, my dreams began to change and take a turn for the worse.

People died.

I would lie, asleep, in my bed at night and an image of someone dying would creep into my mind. When I woke up the next morning, their faces would show up on the news as your daily homicides.

That was when I began to suspect that maybe this talent wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I tried to suppress my dreams, but they just kept coming fiercer every time and more and more people turned up dead.

Coincidentally, all of the deceased were boys like me who also happened to attend my school. After nearly half the boys in my grade were gone, I decided it was time to get to the bottom of this. I was on the run for six months before I finally found out the truth:my dreams weren't just dreams anymore. There was a reason they all came true;

I could manipulate the future with my dreams.

There are six others like me, but I'm the only one with this power. The others can do different things:the first is what's known as a Shielder, or Dun';as he calls it, which means he can turn invisible at will;the second is an Oboroten', or werewolf for those of you that can't speak Russian;the third is a Telesthesian and can read minds and no one knows what the fourth and fifth can do, only that they were captured by _them_:the _Umortis_, an organization who have been hunting us ever since the first developed his one of us has been in danger from the very moment we were born.

Perhaps I should introduce myself, hmm?My name is Kai Hiwatari. I'm about seventeen, going on immortal and I've been on the run for nearly three years with the first and the third. All three of us have been running from _them _ever since we met.

We are known as the Seven, but at the moment, we are only five;I am the seventh and this is my story.

* * *

So what'd ya think?I came up this during French class the other day and I happened to think it sounded pretty damn exciting. Tell me what you think and I'll probably post the first chapter like in a couple days or so.

Paalam!(For those of you that don't know, that's goodbye in filipino)


	2. Chapter 1:The Oath

Title:The Seventh Sacrifice

Author:superhackaninja5

Rating:T

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Standard disclaimer applies.

_Italicized speech _means another language

`...`means telepathy(communicating with minds)

" `_**blah..blah**_"means prophetic speech

Okay, someone has asked me to continue this story so I will and here is the first chapter. Lemme thank that person personally:okay, **Cristallia**, I'm posting this first chapter just for you.

* * *

Chapter 1:The Oath

Two figures, one clad in mottled green, the other in grey, appeared in the middle of the rain-slicked, derelict road, swift and silent as the grave.

The taller of the two withdrew a thin revolver from within the depths of their smoke-coloured cloak and directed the barrel at their hooded companion.

"_Turn around slowly,_"the figure intoned in flawless Russian, his voice colder than Arctic pack ice.

The shorter complied easily, lifting his gloved palms in a gesture of surrender. He raised his hooded head and crystalline turquoise orbs flashed from beneath the green brim.

"_Is it really worth opening hostilities so early in the proceedings,_"he paused and raised his head further to look into the face of his companion, "_Ivanov?_"

Wind blew off the grey cowl shielding the former's face from view, revealing an almost inhumanly pale face shadowed by twin strands of crimson hair that hung just above his pointed chin.

Violet eyes stared down his shorter comrade without emotion from beneath a thick row of crimson lashes as he lowered his gun.

"Rider,"he stated shortly, switching to English effortlessly.

"_So are the legends true, then?Can werewolves only turn during the full moon?_"Rider questioned in his fluid, lilting voice, crystal eyes glittering under the lightless sky. "_That _is beside the point,"Ivanov declared sharply with distrust evident in his Russian accent.

Rider let out a singularly mirthless laugh. "Not interested in camaraderie, then?"he also switched languages to English, "Then for what have you brought me here, _Tala_?"

"You _know _why you're here, Rider,"the redhead stated bluntly, pale lips drawn back into a thin, disapproving line.

Another laugh, then a cool response; "I may be the master of Death, but the _Umortis _were not spawned from my realm-thus, they are and were not under my command when they decided to start hunting us." "Well, since you're the master of Death, I'm trusting you to find some way to prevent more of us from being captured. Understood?"the former glared, violets morphing into liquid ice.

Rider smirked, "I, of course, swear to complete this task, Ivanov. You _are _understood,"

* * *

Three years.

It doesn't seem like a very long time, but it is-especially when you're on the run from a group of bloodthirsty hunters who will stop at nothing to find you...and kill you.

Scared yet?Well, stick around, because it only gets scarier.

"Kai, you're falling behind again,"a Chinese-accented male voice calls back faintly. Kai, that's me. And that Chinese accent belongs to Ray Kon, my...well, let's call him a friend, although he is a bit more than that. But that is irrelevant at the present.

In response to Ray's comment, I make my characteristic "Hn,", causing him to roll his eyes and the man next to him to chuckle.

The man next to him is the third and final member of our little group, Robert Jurgen:the Telesthesian. Or in simpler terms, the Telepath-or, to dumb it down even more, the one who can communicate with people using his mind. And trust me, that's a whole lot more complicated than it sounds.

My amethyst eyes focus on him and we all lapse back into silence once again, Robert turning that purple head of his back to his front so he can watch where he's going more effectively.

Needless to say, this isn't really necessary for me since I allow my eyelids to slide shut again before resuming my languid stride.

We've been walking down this same deserted road for hours now and it is, quite frankly, getting us nowhere_. _Not that either of the other two would ever admit, though;they insist on continuing to think like we're actually achieving something, so as to not decrease morality.

But the reality is, we _aren't _achieving anything anything in being on the run. We're not fighting and we're not saving anyone;we're simply surviving. And in my opinion, it is absolutely pathetic.

* * *

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice rings out across the abandoned terrain, succeeding in sending shivers down my spine; "_You have something I'm after, Hiwatari,"_

The voice speaks Russian, my native tongue and I frown, eyes narrowed.

A mass of shadows swirls to life in front of us and translucent black tornado coalesces into a figure, presumably a man, about a head shorter than I am and garbed from slim head to ankles in a mottled green cloak, with hands covered by leather material of a similar colour.

An unnaturally bright crystalline glow emits from beneath the grey-ish hood, eerily illuminating the dark night.

The other two look at me for a translation, since neither of them understand Russian, but I keep my eyes closed and respond in a barely perceptible tone, speaking the same language easily, "_Who are you?_"

A small smile graces the man's set of kohl-lined lips and he chuckles without humour. "_I would think you, at least, would recognize one of your brethren, Intuitionist,_"

He discards his hood, throwing it back to reveal an almond-skinned, somewhat lion-esque face with smooth, streamlined features, accompanied by a spiked mane of hair, the colour matching that of his cloak and gloved with a single jet black streak running through the centre. Kohl surrounds the eyelids over those inherently glowing turquoise orbs.

Certain he has my fullest attention, he declares in English, "My name is Kyoya Rider. I am a Necromancer and I am the sixth,"

I arch a solitary slate eyebrow in his direction at this statement and quip coolly, "And what, exactly, is it I have that you are after, Necromancer?"

"Information,"he states simply, "The second had been making enquiries for years now about the third and fourth's capture. However, since he's been getting nowhere, I decided to start asking my own questions. And I know you know something about _them, _Hiwatari,"

"You're mistaken,"I say flatly, fixing him with a deadpan stare and crossing my arms over my chest, "I know no more about the _Umortis _than you and the second, whoever he is, do,"

The Necromancer's crystal eyes glimmer mysteriously through his grey lashes as he appears to contemplate what his next response will be. Then he speaks again in an unwavering tone that holds almost no room for argument, "Then, the three of you should be working on discovering more, rather than continuing this aimless journey to nowhere,"

I finally decide to open my eyes and fix the shorter man with a piercing stare. "And how, pray tell, do you propose we go about doing that, Necromancer?"I quip softly, amethysts now glowing red in the darkness.

He jerks his chin easily in Robert and Ray's direction. "You have the Shielder and Telesthesian at your disposal, do you not?I think, between the two of us, we should be able to come up with a few ways of using their powers as a means of finding out more about the _Umortis._"

Ray's quiet, calm Chinese accent whispers into my ear at that precise moment, sounding suspicious, "Do you trust him, Kai?" I consider the question carefully, sliding my eyes shut for a third time, deigning not to answer for the moment. I feel all eyes on me and Robert speaks into my mind. `_This is up to you, Hiwatari. But remember, he _is _one of us.`_

_`I happen to realize that, Jurgen.`_I reply dully, blocking out any further interruptions. The question really is, do I trust Kyoya Rider?And do I believe that he is who says?

Letting out a slightly exasperated breath, I answer smoothly, "Fine."

"Well, then, let's get started, shall we?"Kyoya says and I look up to see him throwing his hood back on, "I know the precise place we should start,"And he turns, beginning to walk in the opposite of the direction we'd been heading.

I make to follow him, but Ray stops me, grabbing my wrist.

"What if this is a trap, set up by them?"he asks in an undertone, watching our new leader suspiciously out of the corner of his eyes while keeping the other focused on me.

I cast a glance behind him at Robert in wordless query. Robert has the ability to read minds as well as communicate with people using them, and I am assuming that he read Rider's. And I assume correctly. The griffin gives me a slight nod, telling me that I can trust the Necromancer.

I look back at Ray and firmly stare into his golden eyes. "It's not,"I declare with absolute confidence before wrenching Ray's hand off of my wrist and walking after Rider.

* * *

Shadows inside a hall utterly devoid of light coalesce into the tall form of a man, donning a cloak of dark navy that falls to his knees.

He appears at the very center of the hall and white flashes underneath his dark blue hood as he parts his pale lips and begins to speak in a rough Russian accent;

"_**`When death and darkness fall across the land,**_

_**Seven great men shall be born by creation's hand;**_

_**The first with the power to conceal his form;**_

_**The second, to change shape into a wolf, as is the norm.**_

_**The third, to look inside another's mind;**_

_**The fourth, to control the waters and the tides.**_

_**The fifth, the ability to move with only a breath;**_

_**The sixth, ultimate domain over the realms of death.**_

_**And finally, the seventh will have the power to look beyond**_

_**Time itself, into outcomes of which, perhaps, he will not be fond.**_

_**Though they have been brought to weather the hail,**_

_**They will die and in the end, inevitably fail,`**_"

* * *

There's chapter one. Hoped you like it. Chapter two might take even longer than this one because inspiration just seems to evade me for this story, even though I had the plot already fully formed in my head when I started writing it. Oh well. Reviews may encourage me. R & R please!

Hugs,

The ninja(hacker)


	3. Chapter 2:The Inception

Title:The Seventh Sacrifice

Author:superhackaninja5

Rating:T

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Standard disclaimer applies.

_Italicized speech _means another language

`...`means telepathy(communicating with minds)

" `_**blah..blah**_"means prophetic speech

Finally finished writing this chapter so figure i should type it up. Kudos to anyone who's still following this story.

* * *

Chapter 2:The Inception

We stop a few steps away from a large and sinister-looking building at 11 o clock at night-I can tell that Ray and Robert are just as confused about this as I am, but, thankfully, Ray is the only who voices it.

"What is this place?"the neko-jin questions, sounding vaguely apprehensive as the four of us come to a full halt in front of the enigmatic fortress.

Rider inhales quietly through his nose before answering lowly, "This is the Umortis' Tokyo base. And we're going to infiltrate it,"

Ray looks stunned speechless at these words;he backpedals a step and, I'm guessing, grips my arm subconsciously. "_What_?"he hisses emphatically.

Here's something I don't get;if he's directing his ire at Rider, why is he hissing in _my _ear?

Rider merely shakes his head, prompting me to ask my own question. "_What are you planning, Rider_?"I say in an undertone without opening my eyes, speaking Russian in order to avoid any unnecessary interruptions.

"_We're going to split up. You and I are going to distract the guards so the Shielder can get in unseen and the Telesthesian can communicate to all of us if we're about to get caught,_"the Japanese man outlines his plan effectively while drawing twin dragonfly katanas from underneath his cloak.

A disbelieving frown creases the center of my white forehead and I open my eyes slowly, narrowing them at our unofficial leader.

"And what makes you think that that's going to work?"I quip coldly, in English this time.

Black-lined lips curve gradually into a slow, roguish smirk.

"What makes _you _think it won't?"he counters smoothly, not missing a beat. I cross my arms over my black-clad chest, compressing my pale lips mutely.

His smirk grows. "Exactly,"he says, "So we're doing this. Get going, Kon. Hiwatari?" "Whatever,"I mumble noncommittally, cracking my neck.

It's been quite awhile since the last time I have been in a fight, so I really hope my skills haven't deserted me from lack of usage.

The two of us adopt similar fighting stances and begin heading for the fortress's entrance. Before we leave, though, I manage to catch a glance of Ray shooting me a rather accusatory look before he melts into the night air, flawlessly shielding his entire lithe form from sight.

"_I hope you know what we're getting into, Kai,_"Robert comments edgily inside my head before he,too, disappears around the corner-no doubt with Ray in tow.

I follow Rider noiselessly toward a formidable-looking battalion of heavily armed guards, all dressed in black and blocking the front gate in a vaguely wall-like formation and carrying rather sharp, lethal-looking swords.

"There's no backing out now, Hiwatari,"Rider intones to me bluntly out of the corner of his mouth as he raises one of his identical katanas and advances towards the nearest of the dozen or so guards, seeming uncannily like a lion stalking its prey.

I swear, if I had blinked at that instant, I would have missed what he did, because he vanishes in a blur of smoke and reappears behind the oblivious guard, stabbing one of his swords through the man's unguarded middle in one swift, effortless motion.

The armed man collapses soundlessly to the barren ground, probably not even knowing what had hit him. Rider only takes a moment to make sure that that first guard is dead before moving onto the next one.

After seeing him take out that first guard, I decide to join what can only be called the slaughter. But once I slit a few throats, I begin to realize that I'm enjoying this just a little too much.

I pause to take a breath and pace myself before going for another one of the _Umortis_ guards. This was becoming just a little too easy-and when this happens,, it usually tends to end up being a trap.

* * *

When we finally manage to break through the line of guards surrounding the shadowed building, I find out why.

A man, dressed entirely in black from head to foot-just like the guards, steps into the light of the fortress's entrance hall with two others dressed similarly to him flanking him on either side.

"Hello, Necromancer,"the tall, dark man greets Kyoya in a deep, almost snake-like voice as Ray and Robert materialize at my side, seemingly unnoticed by everyone but me, "At the risk of sounding cliched, I've been expecting you,"

A sneer slowly curls his painted black upper lip.

"Of course you have,"Kyoya shoots back evenly, apparently unsurprised by this piece of information, "You've had both of your pets there dogging my every footstep ever since I left, so I'm not surprised,"

He pauses, casting a cursory glance over his shoulder at me before turning back and calling out, "Speaking of your little lapdogs, why don't you let them reveal their identities so my friends can see what they're dealing with here?"

The man's sneer grows, "Certainly,"

He waves a gloved hand carelessly, prompting the two men at his sides to take a step forward and shed their black hoods.

The latter of the two cloaked figures has spiked blonde hair, yellow fringe shadowing his aqua blue eyes and his outrageously childlike features.

His shorter companion is darker-skinned with bloody crimson eyes just barely visible his erratic lilac bangs and heavy indigo eyebrows and lashes.

And they are both men I, unfortunately, recognize all too well.

"The fourth and fifth,"I declare flatly, stepping to the front of our little queue and facing down the two familiar figures, "I can't say I'm surprised,"

"You, the seventh, should have seen this coming. We don't play games-we are not your friends,"the blonde states harshly, that growling, vicious tone totally contradicting his angelic, innocent pale features.

I make no move to look rocked;concealing all forms of human emotion is a very constantly used skill of mine. "Give me your names so I know who to add to my hitlist,"I demand sharply, amethyst boring holes into aquamarine.

The blonde smirks, undaunted, and inclines his head in mock acquiescence. "As you wish, _Hiwatari_,"he sneers pompously, eyes flashing with cruel amusement, "My name is Max Tate and I am the fourth,"

"Ian Papov, and I am the fifth,"the lilac-haired man cracks a grin and disappears. "And your death,"he finishes, causing my companions to whirl around to find him directly behind them.

My mouth curls slowly into a cynical sneer as my eyes slip shut, daring the leader of the _Umortis_ to make a comment, "Your pet has a cute trick. What can the other one do?"

The man lets out a singularly humourless laugh, "Oh, lots. Shall he give you a demonstration as well?"He snaps his covered fingers, "Tate?You know what to do,"

Max nods and raises his arms.

Waters bursts the walls apart and comes pouring in through the space where the roof used to be and the four of us on the right side of the battle have to leap out of the way to avoid being crushed under the wave of rushing water.

_That was a really bad idea_. I realize as I grab Ray's wrist to yank him back, away from the steadily growing pool at our feet.

"Fight back, Chosen! Let's see if you really are worth the trouble of sacrificing!"Max yells over the crash and roar of the waves surrounding us as I glare viciously at him from behind a wall of water.

The words seem to have a particular impact on Ray because once Max finishes saying them, the tiger launches forward at him and I am forced to literally drag him back, lest he get hit by the fast oncoming, makeshift tsunami.

"Ray, what the hell?"I yell, puzzled, at him, tightening my arms around his middle so he has to redouble his struggles to break free.

"Kai-let...me..go!"he protests emphatically, with, if I'm not mistaken, tears of frustration flying from the corners of his amber eyes as he wrestles futilely to get me to release him.

"I'll let you go when you tell me what the fuck you're so worked up about!"I retort loudly, scandalized at his reaction to a few simple taunts.

The storm thunders in my ears as I practically constrict Ray with my hold around him, keeping him from being swallowed-but he doesn't still his struggles at the contact like he usually would;if anything, he begins to fight me all the more vigorously and I bite my lip to keep from crying out in frustration. What the hell was wrong with him?

I shake my head disparagingly as he throws all his weight against the bridge of my arms, trying valiantly to break free.

This time, he succeeds.

"Ray!Fuck!"I exclaim in annoyance as the tiger launches forward, heading straight for the fourth and the eye of the storm. Furious, I tear after him;with no regard for my own safety, I plunge straight into the funnel of water and wind.

"Your boyfriend won't be getting too far, Intuitionist!"Tate taunts sycophantically, the harsh quip at complete odds with his infantile, almost babyish features.

I ignore him and continue onward, squinting to keep my eyes focused through the wind and the rain.

"Oh that's it!"I hear Ray snarl and he jumps through the funnel of water, launching himself onto the blonde and knocking him to the floor violently.

What follows is a lot of thrashing that prompts me to run straight for the two brawling to try and pull them apart.

My hands clamp down on Ray's shoulders and I aim a kick at the fourth to get him away from my friend.

"Kai, get-off!"Ray shouts jerkily as he turns himself invisible to wrest himself from my grip. When I lose him, I curse in Russian, "Damn it, Kon! What the fuck are you thinking?"

I focus my powers and try to look about a minute ahead to see where he is, but I see nothing. The one downside of my power?It never shows me what I want to see when I actually want to see it.

Dabbing at his split lip with his gloved hand, Tate backs away from me, a wary gleam in the corner of his eye while he turns his head to look at the fifth.

"Papov, get your ass in gear and take care of them!I gotta watch for the tiger!"he shouts aggressively, pressing against the wall to avoid his own storm.

The indigo-haired man steps forward. "Lazy bastard,"I can hear him mutter irritably before snapping his fingers. The objects nearest to him-a table and a three-legged chair-rise into the air in front of his gloved hands. He shifts one hand and the chair starts heading for me.

"Oh please,"I scoff disdainfully, holding out a hand of my own, meaning to catch it. It, unexpectedly, bursts into flames and I step back, stunned.

And I'm not the only one, either;the Necromancer's blue-green eyebrows are raised and the three _Umortis_ members look torn between being angry and astonished.

I find myself transfixed by the fire as it shrivels the chair into ashes, which then fall to the floor like ebony snow.

"That can't be,"the still-cloaked man in the corner hisses, eyes slitted with obvious ire.

Then suddenly, Papov is sent crashing, face-first, to the floor by some unseen force. And when he hits the floor, so does the hovering table and it smashes into pieces next to the heap of ashes that used to be a chair.

Snarling, Ian blindly throws out a hand and Ray becomes visible, the thin tendril of his hair held in a vice by the telekinetic's hand. He yanks Ray back against his chest and pulls out a knife.

"Back off, Hiwatari,"he advises coldly. A bead of blood appears where he has the knife pressed against Ray's tan throat, "Or the Shielder gets it,"

Indecision apparently doesn't affect the Necromancer because he lashes the knife out of Papov's hand and throws him across the room, knocking him unconscious. He then rushes forward and uses some weird shadowy, ink-like substance emitting from his fingertips to keep the Aquaron at bay while he frees Ray from the lilac-hair's cage of arms.

"Go,"he tells me simply, wasting no time before he himself vanishes, taking Ray with him. "Fuck,"I swear again before doing the same.

An arm pulls me down when I land and I stop in front of both Ray and Rider.

"What the hell was that?"I snap once I regain my composure. The Japanese man looks up at me, releasing Ray's wrist effortlessly, "You're going to have to be way more specific, Hiwatari,"

I roll my red-rimmed amethysts in ill-concealed exasperation before amending in a bored tone, "What happened back there?With the chair catching on fire?"

His olive-skinned forehead creases in a vague frown as he appears to consider a response.

Finally, he says in a low voice, "Evidently, this prophecy of the Seven has more to it than I originally thought," He pauses before declaring in a slightly louder tone, "And I intend to find out exactly what else there is to it,"

I myself frown with disbelief at his words.

"And just how do you propose to go about doing that?"I challenge, raising a single slate eyebrow with pronounced scepticism.

Rider allows himself a small, mischievous smirk at my question.

"By going straight to the source, of course;I think it's time to pay another visit to the Reaper's tomb,"

* * *

Outside the building where the three Chosen currently had taken refuge, a figure hidden by the darkness appeared suddenly.

The lion had no idea that he was being watched-nor that, as soon as the clouds parted and the pale moon made its first appearance of the night, the figure began to shift.

The shadow elongated and slumped down to all fours, becoming hunched and fluid. Claws replaced the nails as fur the colour of fresh snow took the place of the figure's clothes.

Shaking off the now shredded cloth, a wide maw opened and bared a set of gleaming, razor-sharp fangs. Sharp violet eyes became slits of pure ice that narrowed dangerously on the male in the window.

Tala found his head filled with a single thought;the Necromancer was getting one chance. And after that, he was going to learn the hard way that were many things in this life that were much, much worse than death.

When Kyoya glanced out the window, the front yard was empty.

* * *

That was actually a relatively short chapter. Eh. R&R just to let me know that someone's still paying attention to this.


	4. Chapter 3:The Tomb

Title:The Seventh Sacrifice

Author:superhackaninja5

Rating:T

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Standard disclaimer applies.

_Italicized speech _means another language

`...`means telepathy(communicating with minds)

" `_**blah..blah**_"means prophetic speech

Wow I am so sorry for not updating in like a year!It's just I have been so busy with my horrible health and school and extracurriculars and then working on my other stories. Well at least I finally started this.

* * *

Chapter 3:The Tomb

_I never did get another good night's sleep after I discovered that my powers were strongest while I was unconscious-but tonight, tonight was different. This dream was different:this dream was about my comrades. This vision was about me.  
_

_I saw myself, and the other six, all grouped together in a large, round, windowless room. There was a clear divide, though;the fourth and the fifth were still clad in their uniform heavy black cloaks, while the rest of us were in tattered grey jumpsuits, bound in chains from head to foot.  
_

_"This is the end, Hiwatari;the end for you and all of your kind."  
_

_For the first time, I saw the face of the last member of our little band of misfits. The stranger was taller than me with gleaming violet eyes and violently bright crimson hair that hung in two thin strands that shadowed his forehead. At the top of his head, the hair culminated into almost horn-like shapes, making him look almost frighteningly similar to a demon.  
_

_In the very centre of the room, there was a wooden block that looked uncannily like a guillotine-with a razor-sharp, silver blade that shone menacingly in the lack of light. Seeing that reminded me of what the Aquaron had said to challenge us during the battle in the Umortis' fortress. He told us to prove that we were worth sacrificing-and from the looks of things, this was a sacrifice. _

_Torches suddenly blazed to life all around the room, showing the bulky, hooded figure, standing atop the bronze raised platform at the front of the underground chamber. It was the man I assumed was the leader of the Umortis;the one who had been at the fortress and who obviously knew the Necromancer._

_I could just barely make out his face from beneath that heavy leather hood and what I saw there was definitely not human. Not that any of us were, but he was the only one who looked like something else._

_Though I couldn't see his eyes, what little I could see of his face was bloodless and pale and made up entirely of sharp angles and jutting bones. His chin was abnormally large and pointed out like it was swollen to its size, instead of being natural-and then there was his smile;it was scary wide and showed unnaturally long teeth that looked more like a shark's than a human's._

_When he opened his mouth to speak, the voice that issued out of it was strangely familiar. It was unnaturally frigid-and Russian, just like mine._

"_You were never meant to make it to the finish line. None of you were. This was always your destiny;to die at the hands of the very ones who you were created to fight. "_

_We were beckoned, one by one, toward the executioner's block while the blade was sharpened against a dark grey whetstone. It looked like this was going to happen in order, because Ray was the first in line._

_He stepped forward with his head held defiantly high;Ray Kon, still trying to act brave to his very last breath. His head was forced roughly down into the slot beneath the silver guillotine, his head falling around him like a disarrayed, dark waterfall. The Umortis leader came to stand in front of him, next to the faceless executioner. _

"_This is going to be the fate of every last one of the Seven-and I won't rest until all of your blood stains the rim of this blade."he declared icily, a flash of purest crimson creeping out from underneath his hood._

_The blade began to lower slowly. Ray's face showed nothing of the fear he should be feeling;his face was the last thing I saw before there was an almighty crash and then everything went black._

My eyelids flew open rapidly and I shot up as I had been electrocuted, hand shooting forward, only to grab a handful of air. I blinked, looking around in an effort to get my bearings.

That was how all of my visions had always ended;every time I had woken up from one of them, it would always take me a minute to remember that they hadn't happened yet, that they weren't the present, that they weren't reality. Or, at least, not quite yet. I exhaled slowly, wiping a drop of sweat off of my brow.

That had been one of the most real-seeming visions I'd ever had-and not only because it was also one of the most disheartening. I'd seen loads of deaths before, but never ones of people I actually knew and was close to. Seeing Ray's was about as far from cheering as can get.

The aforementioned Shielder was lying on the bed next to me, clad only in a pair of jeans and a loose-fitting t-shirt. The Necromancer had brought us to a concealed hideout that he'd been using for the last few days, offering us a place to sleep before we set out for this Reaper's tomb the next day.

He was slowly waking up, apparently roused by my abrupt rising. He sat up gradually, rubbing his eyes and turning his amber gaze on me.

"Let me guess:you had another vision?"he broke the tense silence knowingly, tentatively placing his hand on my right shoulder. A heavy sigh left my lips, but I had no choice but to admit it;after all, he knew the signs almost as well as I did. Sleeping next to me for the past several years had numbed him to the shock of it all.

He nodded his understanding carefully, pausing briefly before asking another question. "What was it about?" I pinched the bridge of my nose, eyes slipping shut while I debated whether or not I should really tell him what I had seen;I didn't want to worry him. Not after the day that we had had.

After a moment, I decided it was more prudent to tell him;he did deserve to know, after all. "I saw all of us dying,"I declared, reopening my eyes to meet his.

Ray blinked, expression turning faintly bemused. "Oh, is that all?"he replied dryly, rolling his topaz orbs expressively at my lackluster tone before adding, "Wait, _all _of us?Does that mean you saw who the second is as well?"

I inclined my head in an affirmative. "I did,"I admitted in an undertone, this time looking away from him so he wouldn't see the emotion breaking through my usual granite mask. "He's about my age, but I didn't see anything else. Besides that, all I saw was his hair colour."

"Well, that's not going to be of very much help,"I heard the Chinese male mutter beside me, letting out an exasperated breath. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them. "What _exactly_ did you see? How did we all end up dying?"

"We were being _sacrificed_,"I stated through clenched teeth, that last words leaving an unpleasant taste on my tongue. I took a second to regain my composure before elaborating; "All seven of us were in some underground chamber, waiting to be lead to the executioner's block,"

My companion appeared to consider that for a few moments. "I was the first to be sacrificed, wasn't I?"he guessed flatly, no longer meeting my eyes but ducking his head so his bangs shielded them. I gave a non-committal shrug and he scowled darkly. "That can't be right."

"My visions have never been wrong before,"I pointed out matter-of-factly, folding my arms. Ray set his jaw in a familiar determined expression, "Well, there's always a first time for everything,"

We were interrupted at that moment by the sound of our door swinging open. We both fell silent, swiveling our heads around in that direction.

Rider was standing in the doorway, the hood of his mottled green cloak half-shielding his olive-skinned face from view. "Time to go,"his Japanese accent broke the questioning silence blandly as Ray and I both arched our eyebrows at him. He looked directly at me when he finished his sentence, "The tomb is where all of our powers originated. The Reaper created us all, and I think it's time we found out why,"

* * *

_In the lands of the lost, the demon slumbers. The great Rider, known only as Death, waits for his seven new souls;appeasement had never been this complicated._

_Their mission is to rip us all to pieces. This is what the Seven were truly meant for;complete and utter annihilation_

"The Seven really think they're meant to save the world from some great evil, when really, they are the only evil that the world needs protecting from,"the leader of the Umortis declared with a sneer, eyes glinting malevolently beneath his dark hood.

In one of the many rooms of his fortress, he was surrounded by what was left of his followers, including the Aquaron and the Telekinetic. They were, every one of them, cloaked to hide their faces;the fourth was in dark red, the fifth in pale blue and all of the rest in black leather. Cumulatively, they made a rather imposing group.

The marble floor was stained with the remnants of their previous battle. Blood streaked the dark stone like splattered paint, giving the fortress a decidedly macabre touch.

There was a brief silence during which his soldiers contemplated what he had said. They knew this already;this was what they had gathered for. The silence lasted for about a minute, and then, one of the other concealed members spoke up. "You sent the seventh his warning." It wasn't really a question.

Their leader inclined his head in an affirmative. "He knows that he and his friends can't win, especially not with the sixth as their guide. He's already failed once to save what matters most to him;it's practically guaranteed that he will make the same mistake again,"he stated with what sounded oddly like glee;he should have been stating the obvious. Every person in the room knew exactly what he was talking about-well, except for the traitors, of course.

The male at his right, the Aquaron was the next one to break the silence. "What of the second? Our scouts have made no further progress in locating him and as long as he is waging his own war against us, we have no chance of capturing the others,"he quipped dully, feigning disinterest;he knew if he showed concern, there would be consequences.

Their nameless leader turned back toward him, bloodless mouth compressed into an inscrutable line, while the rest of his face remained hidden. It wouldn't do for anyone, even his followers, to have knowledge of his identity just yet.

"Well, then I suggest you increase your efforts toward the search,"he intoned dangerously, "Because if he and the Seventh meet before we've managed to turn him, our entire plan will be completely derailed,"

"Don't even worry about a thing, Master,"the maroon-cloaked Telekinetic spoke up confidently, showing his vaguely pointed teeth, "We'll make sure that that doesn't happen,""See that you do,"the elder male reiterated firmly in a tone that left no room for argument, staring holes in his subordinate's head.

The two bowed their hooded heads in acquiescence before disappearing to complete their allotted task. They were on a very tight schedule.

* * *

The Necromancer lead them out of the hideout where they had temporarily taken refuge and into the wilderness surrounding it. He stopped where the tree cover was densest and turned around to face his three companions.

"I chose this place as my base for a reason,"he spoke matter-of-factly, locking eyes with the dual-haired Intuitionist as if trying to convince him that he was being truthful. He waited until it became clear he had the bluenette's full attention before continuing.

"This forest was where I first found out about my powers-because, you see, these woods are also a burial ground," His eyes slid shut and he raised his gloved hands. Then, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet.  
Robert and Ray both narrowed their eyes while Kai retained an air of almost frightening calm. The tremble escalated into a rippling fissure that split the mossy terrain in half.

Clouds of smoke and dirt blew up around them and the smell of soil filled the air. The fissure grew larger and larger until it formed a rather large trench behind the apparently unfazed Necromancer.

Oddly, the trees remained inert and weren't dislodged. And when all of the debris cleared and the shaking came to a halt, a twisting marble staircase appeared inside the gaping fissure, spiralling under the ground into blackness.

The eldest of his three allies scrutinized the entrance to the underground cavern critically. "Don't tell me,"he said with ill-concealed exasperation, "We're going in there?"

Kyoya shrugged his slim shoulders. "Unfortunately, that is where the tomb is. And we need to know exactly what we're dealing with here,"he reasoned flatly, turning around and beckoning for the others to follow him. "Besides, nothing can harm you down there-not as long as I'm here. After all, places of death are where my powers are strongest."he added as he descended the marble steps, disappearing gradually into the dark.

Robert made to follow him, but Kai unexpectedly pushed past him and took up the lead. "Kai, what-?"he started to ask, a confused expression crossing his pale face, but the Russian male was gone before he had a chance to finish, causing him to frown.

He cast a searching look over his shoulder at Ray, but the Chinese male appeared just as baffled as he was, if not more. "What do you think that was about?"he quipped, knowing Ray probably didn't have an answer.

Just as he'd expected, the blacknette couldn't do anything but shake his head, clearly at a loss. "I don't have a clue,"he admitted with obvious frustration. He set his jaw, "But I intend to find out,"He raised his chin determinedly and stalled after Kai and Kyoya into the lightless catacomb.

Robert stared after him with a raised violet eyebrow, wondering what the hell had suddenly gotten into his friends. Ray and Kai had never been the most functional of couples, but they'd never acted quite like this before.

Inhaling deeply, he composed to himself to go after his companions. He needed to get to the bottom of not only their situation, but also of his two comrades's strange shift in comportment.

The four powers traversed the ancient staircase, each one of them noticing as they did so that it was getting steadily darker and darker the further down they descended. Kyoya was, of course, the first to reach the bottom;the second his foot touched a flat surface he presumed was the floor, he stopped, casting his haze around to see if he could make anything out through the gloom.

Since he was in a place of death, his powers were strengthened-and that includes his not-usually-necessary night vision ability. Using it, he was able to peer through the darkness and make out a corridor that he knew would lead to their destination. He realized, though, that his followers were going to need some form of illumination in order to see.

"Hiwatari,"he called over his shoulder, his voice echoing eerily off of the stone walls. He waited until he heard the familiar "hn" response before voicing his idea. "You were able to conjure fire during the battle with the Umortis;perhaps you'll be able to do so again to light the way for you and your friends?"he suggested offhandedly, knowing the Russian would never back down from a challenge.

The dual-haired teen shot the Necromancer a dark look out of the corner of his eye. He had never conjured fire before that battle;for all he knew, that had been a one-time fluke and he would never be able to do it again.  
A corner of his mouth lifted slightly. Then again, there was no harm in trying...

He raised one of his hands in front of him and opened it so that his palm was facing upwards. Exhaling softly, he attempted to clear his mind and visualize a flame filling his open hand.

He hadn't thought it would work;he'd never done anything like this before. Yet somehow, it did work;his hand started to heat up and then suddenly, there was a ball of orange fire resting on top of it.

He blinked, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Alerted by the unexpected blast of light, his comrades were having a similar reaction.

Ray, his boyfriend, was wide-eyed and awed. "How did you do that?"he wondered in a stunned tone, unable to tear his amber gaze away from the ball of fire.

The Intuitionist didn't know what to tell him. He didn't know how he'd done it;he just had.

He shook his head, unwilling to show his puzzlement. "Never mind that,"he waved away the question and pointed at the now-visible tunnel in front of them, "We have more important things to worry about,"

Not giving anyone a chance to pry any further, he took up the lead and started toward the narrow passageway with deliberate speed.

The others fell into step behind him, walking down the curving corridor with only Kai's fire to light the way. He lead them into the centre of the catacombs, uttering not a single word the entire journey.

The deeper they ventured, the more Kai began to feel an increasing sense of foreboding. Something was calling out to him, something dark. And he wasn't so sure he could ignore it.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they were able to see why it was called the Reaper's tomb. The corpse that lay atop the obsidian casket was holding an iron scythe in its skeletal hand.

Kyoya made his way to the front of the queue, shooting Kai a swift, searching look before breaking the silence once again. "This is where all of our powers came from,"he declared in barely above a whisper, running a gloved finger over the edge of the casket behind him. He waved a hand in the direction of the surrounding walls, which were covered in swirling archaic sigils. "And these writings tell the story of our creation."

The Intuitionist came to stand next to him, the fire in his hand sputtering out as his hand retreated into the pocket of his trench coat. His amethyst eyes scanned the walls analytically, attempting to detect the language the symbols adorning them originated from.

Though he didn't manage to figure that out, he did discover something else. "I can read these,"he realized with a jolt, unaware that he had spoken aloud.

Kyoya's aquamarine orbs narrowed when he heard those words. To his knowledge, he should have been the only one with the ability to read those sigils.

"What do you mean you can read them?"he queried suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest. Kai answered without looking at me, "I mean, I've never seen this language before in my life, but I can read what's written ere as easily as if it were English,"

"What does it say, Kai?"Ray spoke up from his back, the tension in his voice painfully obvious. Robert said nothing, but his mahogany orbs were boring holes in the back of Kai's head.

The bluenette inhaled sharply before reading the inscriptions to them. "_When death and darkness fall across the land, seven great men shall be born by creation's hand. The first, with the power to conceal his form;the second, to change shape into a wolf, as is the norm. The third, to look into another's mind;the fourth, to control the wind and the tides. The fifth, to move with only a breath;the sixth, ultimate domain over the realms of death. And finally, the seventh will have the power to look beyond time itself, into outcomes of which, perhaps, he will not be fond. Though they have been brought to weather the hail, they will die and, in the end, inevitably fail._"

Silence rang out after that;the four males were all too shocked to speak. This was definitely not what any of them had expected to find here.

Ray swallowed and finally worked up the nerve to ask, "Does it say anything else? Like about the Umortis?" Kai sighed and replied in as even a tone as he could muster, "It lists our names and it calls us the Seven Sacrifices."

He gritted his teeth as he inwardly seethed. So the Aquaron had been right;they really were meant to be sacrifices. But that also begged the question:what were they being sacrificed for?

* * *

It started as a barely perceptible whisper inside his head, so faint that he thought he was imagining it at first. Then it grew steadilylouder and louder until he couldn't ignore it anymore and had to listen.

Being a Telepath and all, he was used to hearing voices inside his head, but usually they were familiar ones. This time, though, it was a voice that he had never heard before speaking to him in his mind.

A low, gravelly Russian accent filled his ears,speaking as if to a very slow child(m2bi) "You don't know me, Robert Jurgen, but I know you-and I know your friends,"

There was a brief pause during which Robert tried in vain to block out those suspicious words and go back to sleep, but to no avail. The voice continued a second later, still in that same deliberate tone.

"_I'm leaving it up to you to deliver this warning;the Umortis are not the true enemy. The greatest evil lies within your ranks._"

* * *

THE END. Lol, I wrote this entire thing on my ipod pretty much. That was good times. I'll try not to wait like a year and a half before another chapter. Kudos to anyone who is still reading this.


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